Things are Happening

There are 12 more days to go until the Olympics.

Yesterday the Olympic Village officially opened, and foreign journalists are starting to arrive.

This past week Olympic volunteers dressed in their blue and white shirts are posted around the city, giving directions to people. Or they are talking to their friends on their cell phones.

I went to my hotel gym for a swim today and found I was subjected to a security check -- a woman with a metal detector quickly wanding me, but not checking my bag.

And around the city are posters telling Beijing residents how to converse with foreigners. They should not ask them their age, what their salary is, and definitely not about their political views or religious beliefs.

While some think it's silly, others say it's good education for those who hardly ever come in contact with laowai, or foreigners.

With the alternating license plate numbers in effect for a week now, taxis are either plentiful or scarce. They're usually no where to be found in the morning rush. And so because traffic is lighter, I've been taking the bus to the office -- well, a bus to the terminus and then taking the actual bus to work.

And it takes me about 30 minutes. The best part is that apart from Monday, I've saved 80RMB so far.

I'm going to keep taking the bus to work as much as possible until September 20. Yes -- it's my bit to have a "Green Olympics". But so far the sky still looks smoggy. Oh -- I mean 'overcast'.